A Feasibility Study for Urban Edge Agricultural Parks - SAGE

farm" program, established farmers provided access to land for programparticipants, assisted with land preparation, and gave on-site technical assistance.After working on a mentor farm site, new farmers were offered opportunities tomove onto larger independent parcels of land in the area as identified by USDA.The Project also linked large immigrant communities in urban areas to consumerpreferences for "specialty" crops with high values such as pea tendrils, encouragingfarmers' markets and retail grocery stores to sell the fresh, high quality products.The Project organized training and technical assistance for new farmers to addressimportant issues such as production, pesticide use, farm safety, finances,recordkeeping, and marketing. Increasingly the project is emphasizing marketingorientedstrategies as central to successful farming strategies for projectparticipants.Locally, the Funders for Sustainable Food Systems (FSFS) have a vision ofCalifornia as the leader and model state developing sustainable food systems.FSFS works toward this vision by raising funder awareness about the critical needfor and the multiple problem areas addressed by sustainable food systems. Areassuch as public health, environmental degradation, labor rights, marine ecosystems,animal welfare, and food security are linked to the way food is grown, distributed,and consumed in California. Participating grantmakers include:• Arkay Foundation• Columbia Foundation• Gaia Fund• Fred Gellert Family Foundation• Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund• Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation• Homeland Foundation• W.K. Kellogg Foundation• William Zimmerman Foundation• Coastal Conservancy• Rural Development Corporation• American Farmland Trust• California Rangeland Trust• Conserving California Landscapes Initiative Resource Legacy FundDRAFT 1.6.05 91